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The Association Between Spirituality and Depression in Parents Caring for Children with Developmental Disabilities: Social Support and/or Last Resort

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Abstract

Associations between spirituality and depression were examined in parents of children with developmental disabilities using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Spirituality was positively associated with depression, whereas social support was negatively related; parents with higher spiritual beliefs and lower levels of support had higher depression scores. Themes emerging from interviews were spiritual/religious coping as a way of dealing with difficulty, as a last resort, and as a form of release from their situation. Associations between spirituality and depression in these parents are more complex than previously thought.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Stephen Gallagher

  2. School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Anna C. Phillips & Douglas Carroll

  3. Psychology and Mental Health, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

    Helen Lee

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  1. Stephen Gallagher
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  2. Anna C. Phillips
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  3. Helen Lee
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  4. Douglas Carroll
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Correspondence to Stephen Gallagher.

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Gallagher, S., Phillips, A.C., Lee, H. et al. The Association Between Spirituality and Depression in Parents Caring for Children with Developmental Disabilities: Social Support and/or Last Resort. J Relig Health 54, 358–370 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9839-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9839-x

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